Michel Dreux

The article investigates the ELSD response variation with supercritical carbon dioxide-based mobile phases and compares the response with HPLC.

The mobile-phase flow rate and the amount of modifier mixed with carbon dioxide are the main parameters affecting peak area.

An evaporative light scattering (ELS) detector is a powerful detection tool if the solutes are less volatile than the eluent. Three main processes occur successively: nebulization, evaporation of the liquid chromatographic (LC) effluent and measurement of the light scattering by the residual particles. This leads to a non-linear calibration curve such as, A= a.m b where A is the peak area,m the sample mass and b the response coefficient measured as the slope of Log A = b>Log m + Log a.

The authors describe a study that was conducted to evaluate the correlation between the slope of the response line and the response factor of an ELSD that are ordinarily regarded as independent numerical coefficients.